Briar Rose - Taekook

Chapter 44

Honestly, writing battle descriptions is the hardest part of this book.

XLIV: Jungkook

"The Mask―the one they call a monster―he's killing them all."

Oh no no no.

I stand up so fast that the chair I'm sitting in topples over. "We―we have to go! Taehyung―he needs our help!"

"Wait a minute, boy," Alastair stands up too. "How do you plan to fight the monster without any protection? No army? That's a suicide mission."

"I don't know, but I'll figure it out as I go," I say, "Right now, our main priority should be to get to Shadow Valley. I-I need to stop Taehyung."

"Don't be foolish," Alastair says, shaking his head. "Going into battle without a plan? That's the worst thing you can possibly do. I understand your impatience, but at least think for a minute. Don't waste your life for nothing."

"Er, Sir?" The messenger interrupts timidly. "King Xian requested an immediate response. Shall we send them aid?"

Alastair pauses. "Very well. Tell the soldiers to send out ten troops. That should hold off even the monster for a while. How long ago did the attacks start? And from what direction?"

"About two hours sir. The soldiers say the attacks came mostly from the east. The men are holding him off at the gates, but it won't be long until he breaks through, by the sight of it."

"Then see my orders carried out immediately." The messenger salutes, then rushes down the hall to ready the military. I'm itching to go too, but force myself to stay still. For once, Alistair is right. We must have a plan if we are to try and defeat the monster.

His grandfather hobbles over to one of the bookshelves lining the wall, pulling down some maps. Returning to the table in the center of the room, he spreads them out, smoothing out the creases. We all cluster around him to get a better look.

"If the attacks are coming from the east," Alastair points with his finger. "The monster must have come through the Artok woods. That's the same woods near Armad Castle, so it's safe to assume that he went to Shadow Valley straight after burning the castle down."

"What are those little triangles surrounding Shadow Valley's territory?" I ask, pointing to the small black triangles that ran along the border of the clan's boundaries.

"It symbolizes their wall," Jimin explains. "They have a sturdy stone barrier built around their clan, which is nearly impenetrable. That's one of the reasons why their defense is so strong."

"Something's wrong here," Yoongi mutters. "The walls surrounding Shadow Valley are supposed to be the strongest in the land. Yet, from what the messenger said, the monster has broken through them in two hours. That would be a fantastical feat, even with all of his power. Impossible even."

"Perhaps the walls were weakened in one place, and the monster just tore down that section?" Lisa suggests, but Yoongi merely frowns. "Soldiers of Shadow Valley do regular checks of the wall. I don't see how they could have missed a weak spot that big."

"But the wall stretches on for miles," Hoseok says. "It's possible that they just overlooked a section by mistake." Yoongi shrugs. "Maybe."

"What I don't understand is why the monster would attack Shadow Valley," Namjoon says. "Wouldn't it be much easier to attack the Sirius Clan itself?" He points to a cluster of villages about two miles away from Armad Castle. "Why is the monster leaving this untouched and moving onto a different clan?"

"That doesn't matter right now," Alistair gives a dismissive wave of his hand. "What matters now is having a good plan to defeat the monster."

"We could try and hold him off at the gates," Jin says. "Prevent him from further damaging the city."